UFC 208's Ronaldo Souza not overlooking 'tough' Boetsch, but brings his own tricks to get a finish

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Welterweight contender Demian Maia was the latest fighter to come out saying that if it means securing an elusive title shot, he’s willing to sit it out for a while.

In spite of being close to a stab at a title himself, Ronaldo Souza seems to have taken a different approach. Set to take on Tim Boetsch (20-10 MMA, 11-9 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC 208 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Souza (23-4 MMA, 6-1 UFC) explained why he took the Boetsch scrap now, instead of waiting for a name who could maybe present a clearer path to middleweight gold.

“In order to keep myself active,” Souza said. “All the guys who waited a long time without a fight, they didn’t come back quite as well. Not to mention that I don’t even know that, if I wait, I’ll fight for the belt. So I have to stay active.”

Currently ranked No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, “Jacare” had already talked about the pretty simple process behind the matchup with the unranked Boetsch: He wanted a fight, opponents were nowhere to be found, and “The Barbarian” turned out to be down.

Rankings aside, Souza has clarified he is in no way underestimating the trouble presented by his his heavy-handed opponent.

“I think he’s very tough, with a very hard right hand that can make it difficult for anyone,” Souza said. “He’s a very strong opponent in this division.”

Which is not to say that he’s not at all optimistic.

“But I also have a few tricks up my sleeve for him,” Souza said. “So I think I’ll do a good job and end this fight before the final bell.”

The future should he in fact beat Boetsch, however, remains murky. After persistent pleas for a title shot, Souza has made some peace with the fact it might not be right around the corner, and has even speculated that a rematch with Yoel Romero, regarded as the next contender after beating him in a razor-thin decision, could be next.

Asked about whether he thinks he’s ever going to fight champion  Michael Bisping, Souza sidestepped. But he went on to reiterate his feelings about how the champion has been conducting his rein so far.

“I, honestly, am here to do my job,” Souza said. “My job is not running, it’s fighting. I always say Bisping was a disaster for the middleweight division. Not because he’s the champion, because he did his job masterfully to become champion, but he doesn’t want to fight anyone at the top of the division, and that makes it difficult. He brought the division to a halt.”

Check out the video above.

And for more on UFC 208, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.